Technical Field
This application relates generally to system and methods for improving the delivery and performance of WebVR and WebAR pages.
Brief Description of the Related Art
Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive experience in which computer generated imagery surrounds a viewer. Special hardware, typically stereoscopic headsets, may be used to present three-dimensional imagery to the viewer. Examples of VR hardware include HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard.
WebVR is an open specification and JavaScript API that enables VR through a web browser such as Mozilla Firefox. WebVR enables web browsers to generate immersive VR experiences within a webpage by gaining access to a VR hardware's sensory data, such as viewer position and orientation data. WebVR supports rendering of three-dimensional objects inside a 3D-enabled Document Object Model (DOM) that virtually exists within a webpage. WebVR is a cross platform technology, and hence can be used to generate Virtual Reality-capable websites to be viewed via Web browsers opened inside commercial VR devices, such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Google Cardboard.
Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that superimposes computer-generated virtual objects onto the visible natural world. AR differs from VR in that with AR virtual objects are superimposed on real world objects, such as a virtual car placed in front of a live camera feed coming from user's device to provide the user an illusion as if the car is there in the real world. In the case of VR, virtual objects are superimposed on other virtual objects. Despite the name, WebVR specifications and API can be used to provide web pages that provide an AR experience. Hence, in this patent document, it should be understood that references to WebVR web pages, WebVR resources, WebVR scripts, or other content can produce either VR or AR presentations. Put another way, WebVR should be read as WebVR/AR.
The delivery and performance of VR/AR web pages can be enhanced to some extent through known and generally applicable techniques for web content, such as caching, transport layer optimizations, and the like. However, there is room for improvement. This patent document discloses enhancements, many of which are specific to VR/AR and/or WebVR, that improve the delivery and performance of web pages authored to produce VR/AR experiences. As such they improve the operation of the computer hardware and software, networked systems, and distributed computer systems (such as content delivery networks or CDNs) that deliver virtual reality content. Those skilled in the art will understand these and other improvements from the teachings hereof.